


Summer Rain

by irlbokuto (Asgardian_Pirate)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aomine doesn't like wearing sunscreen, Basketball, Beach House, Eventual Smut, Humor, Kagami's actually a nerd, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Post-High School, Slow Burn, Summer, these boys are idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:22:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6289750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asgardian_Pirate/pseuds/irlbokuto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Aomine's uncle asked him to manage one of his beach house properties for the summer following his high school graduation, Aomine readily accepted. What's not to like? It was essentially a paid vacation, and the beach was literally at Aomine's fingertips. What he didn't really understand was how the tenant turned out to be Kagami Taiga, of all people; a guy he hadn't seen in months, who happened to be renting the beach house the entire summer.</p><p>This story is about a change of pace and a change of heart. Sometimes spending your days in the sun can help you see more than you ever have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Familiar Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first KnB fic, _oh boy_. I'm really fucking excited. I adore Aokaga too much to not write a fic of them falling in love. 
> 
> Here's to the beginning of a wondrous and ridiculous ride!

Rivulets of rain traveled down the glass of shop windows, the water gathering in small puddles on the ground until they overflowed into the lines of the sidewalk. Aomine flipped his hood up over his head as the rain began to come down harder, grumbling under his breath until he finally reached his destination: a small grocery store smack dab in the middle of a small town. The signs on the door promoted several sales in eye-straining colors, all of them ignored as Aomine stepped inside. He lowered his hood, the material damp against his shoulders, and looked around at the layout of the shop.

It wasn’t very wide, but the store was long, stretching farther back than he had expected. The air was slightly humid with the warmth and moisture of the summer season, making it a little uncomfortable inside the store; but at least he wasn’t getting blasted by air conditioning after being out in the rain. Aomine pulled out a small shopping list from his jean pocket, smoothing out the paper as he began walking through the store aisles. When he had reached the small town, he hadn’t expected to kick off his summer vacation with a storm and _errands_ , of all things, but here he was, wet sneakers leaving footprints down a cramped food aisle. The sale banners jutted out from shelves, whacking him everytime he turned around, and it was starting to piss him off.

“Do you need help with anything, sir?” A store clerk asked from behind him. His elbow caught one of the sale banners and knocked it to the floor. Aomine just stared at it, and then at the clerk, before the clerk slowly picked it up. His face lost the typical greet-each-customer-with-a-smile expression the longer Aomine looked at him. Aomine silently handed him his shopping list, grunting when the clerk raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah. You can find everything on that list as fast as possible, and then I can be on my merry way.”

The clerk hesitated, obviously trying to hide the displeasure he felt from the direct command. Aomine started feeling impatient.

“Look, if you can’t, just give the list back. I’ve got other shit to do today.”

“Is it your first time visiting our store?”

Aomine frowned. “Why does that matter?”

“I would be happy to show you around so you’ll be able to find these items the next time you visit.”

Aomine snorted and followed the clerk as he rounded the corner and walked down the adjacent aisle.

“I’ll probably be back, since this place seems to be the only store in the neighborhood.”

“One of the only, yes.”

Aomine didn’t feel the need to reply, so he continued watching the clerk as the man slowly filled a basket for Aomine. He decided to pay attention, at least enough to know the general whereabouts of different items in the store, since he didn’t want to be bothered the next time he came in.

 _Hopefully whoever’s staying in the beach house doesn’t eat through this shit in one go_ , he thought as the clerk toted his basket to the register. Once the total was displayed, Aomine quickly swiped his card, wanting to leave before the rain picked up again. However, the transaction took several minutes to process. By the time it did, Aomine wanted to yell.

“Sorry about the wait. These readers need to be upgraded.”

“Yeah, someone should get on that,” Aomine gritted out as he grabbed his bags. “You got an ATM somewhere?”

“I believe there is one in the bank, if it still works.” The clerk had the nerve to smile at him, and Aomine left without another word.

The walk to the beach house wasn’t terrible; Aomine managed to make it there before the stronger rains hit. He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside, his hair dripping water down onto his face before it hit the foyer floor. He slipped his shoes off and carried the groceries to the kitchen; a room he thought was a waste of space, considering how bulked it was with appliances and counter space.

_Why the hell would one person need all this room for?_

Aomine did as he was instructed and stored the groceries in their respective places in the kitchen; the pantry, the refrigerator, and the cabinets. It was by his uncle’s policy to stock the beach house initially with food and cleaning supplies so that the guests wouldn’t have to worry about it after traveling. Although, Aomine didn’t understand why the guests renting out the place couldn’t afford those things on their own, considering how much it cost to even stay at the house for a weekend.

The beach house was an ocean front property in the Miyazaki prefecture owned by Aomine’s uncle. The man rented it out to tourists and vacation goers year round because of the area’s predictably warm climate. The small town drew a certain type of crowd, usually the people who had money to spend but wanted to take a break from city life. Because of that, his uncle could usually squeeze a good amount of money out of people looking for the secluded and convenient property.

Typically, his uncle would manage it. The house was split into two levels: the top floor belonged to the caretaker, the beach level floor to the guests. Aomine thought that caretaker was a glorified name for a maid, but he supposed it wasn’t too terrible of a job, considering it was literally on the beach. When his uncle had called him to congratulate him on his high school graduation, he had offered Aomine the caretaker job for the summer.

 

_“Why me?”_

_“I have to oversee a property being built elsewhere, and you’re fresh out of school. I know it’s far from home, but it’ll be like a vacation.”_

_“I don’t want to look after some old couple there to take pictures.”_

_“You’ll be paid for it.”_

_“...Who’s staying?”_

 

Aomine recalled the email his uncle sent him only two days later, stating that some rich fuck had rented it for the entire summer; similar in age and recently graduated high school, which his uncle deemed as a stroke of luck.

 

_“You should be able to get along fine.”_

_“We’re not gonna be buddies.”_

_“You don’t have to be, but at least show him some friendliness. I am running a business, afterall.”_

_“You_ do _realize who you’re talking to, right?”_

 

Apparently, this rich fuck wasn’t so rich afterall. His uncle had given him a discount for the prolonged stay because he was going to work in town. A little weird, since his uncle never gave discounts, but Aomine had agreed to it nonetheless, and was flown out to the prefecture within a week of the first phone call.

After everything was put away, Aomine stretched, tsking as the sun easily broke through the clouds. The bright, blue sky reflected off of the water as if the rain had never been there. He’d eventually get used to how quickly rain passed through the town, but it still annoyed him that he had arrived with shit timing. Once Aomine changed and hung his clothes out to dry, he climbed the stairs up to his floor. With the tenant arriving the following day, he was going to enjoy the peace and quiet while he had it.

 

\---

 

“Yeah, mom. I’m _fine_.” Aomine transferred his cell phone to his other ear and held it in place with his shoulder to free up his hands. Palm leaves had fallen during the night when another bout of rain rolled through, so he had to pick them up before the tenant arrived. Something about keeping the beach looking pristine, or some shit like that. “The town’s alright. I’ve only walked around once, and it was raining, so it wasn’t the best sightseeing of my life.”

His phone faintly dinged during the call, indicating that he had received an email.

“I have to go. Gotta do my job. Yeah, yeah. Bye.”

Aomine held the palm leaves in one hand so he could scroll through his phone and open his email. It was from his uncle, telling him that he’d been notified that the tenant’s plane had landed.

“Jesus, does he run a travel agency?” Aomine shook his head and pocketed his phone. He quickly carried the leaves and placed them under a nearby tree before heading towards the house. Droplets of sweat collected on his brow and he wiped them away with his forearm. Despite the breeze from the ocean keeping it relatively cool, it was still pretty damn hot; it wasn’t even noon, and the sun beat down on him mercilessly. When his shirt uncomfortably began to cling to his skin, he shed it and draped it over his shoulder. The thought of buying sunscreen briefly crossed his mind, but he shrugged it off. He could use his uncle’s money, but he couldn’t be bothered with biking into town to pick it up.

Since the tenant was supposed to show up relatively soon, Aomine figured he should make a sweep of the house just to check that everything was working and in order. He was in the first floor bathroom when he got another email from his uncle; this time, he stated that he wanted Aomine to pick up the tenant from the train station.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” He exhaled loudly through his nose, quietly reminding himself that he was getting paid for this. “All I have is a bike right now. How the hell am I supposed to do that? We gonna Sound of Music it and ride together?”

Aomine threw on a tanktop and a pair of sunglasses before locking up the place. He grumbled as he pushed his bike to the road, but on the ride into town, he calmed down. The breeze felt nice on his skin as he rode through the streets. He eventually pulled up in front of the small store he had visited the day prior.

“Good afternoon, sir!” The same clerk greeted. Aomine nodded at him and stepped up towards the cooler of drinks near the front counter. He reached for a cola before pausing.

“I wonder if the guy likes soda.” Shrugging, Aomine grabbed two colas and tossed some money onto the counter.

“Cash today, it seems,” the clerk commented with a smile. Aomine grunted, collecting his drinks and change before the clerk could say anything more. Aomine walked outside but paused in front of his bike when he realized he didn’t have anywhere to put the drinks.

“Well, shit.”

He walked back into the store and grabbed a slinged backpack. The clerk thankfully didn’t make another comment, but Aomine thought he seemed amused as Aomine handed him more cash.

After sliding the drinks into his bag, Aomine finally climbed back onto his bike and rode for the train station. It didn’t take very long, and the ride was easy. If there was one thing Aomine didn’t miss from Tokyo, it was the traffic. The cars the passed him on the streets here couldn’t even be _considered_ traffic, even during lunch time.

Aomine parked his bike outside the train station gate and walked up to the attendee at the ticket window.

“How can I help you today, sir?”

“When’s the next train from the airport arriving?”

“It should arrive in approximately twelve minutes.”

Aomine nodded and walked back to his bike, pulling out his phone to shoot his uncle a short email.

 

_“In front of the train station, waiting on your customer. Want me to send picture for proof?”_

_“Thank you. I already notified him that you’d be waiting.”_

 

 _Presumptuous_. Aomine snorted, tempted to just ride back to the house and let the guy find his own way. Instead, he pulled out his cola and popped the lid off, sipping at it as he browsed his phone.

When the train pulled up to the station, Aomine didn’t bother seeking the guy out.. It was pointless, considering he had no idea what he looked like. If his uncle was as prepared as he seemed to be, he would have given the tenant a description of _Aomine_ instead.

A tall figure stopped just within his peripheral. Aomine sipped at his soda, his eyes still on his phone.

“Aomine?” A deep voice asked. It rang familiar to Aomine; familiar enough that it garnered his attention. He glanced up to see bright red hair and unmistakeable eyebrows.

_No fuckin’ way._

“ _Kagami?_ Kagami Taiga?” Aomine responded, frowning. What other Kagami could it be? “What the hell are you doing here?”

It was almost instantaneous. Kagami’s face dropped from surprised to affronted, his grip tightening on the strap of one of his bags.

“I should have put it together. The last name. Aomine-san’s _nephew_. He even sounded a little like you.”

“Wait. You’re renting out my uncle’s property?” It felt unreal. He hadn’t seen the guy in months, and yet here he was, in the last place he’d expect.

Kagami answered by raising his shoulders in slight shrug.

“That a yes or a no?”

“What do you think? Yes, idiot. I’m staying at the beach house.”

“Which means we’re roommates.”

Kagami momentarily looked terrified, which made Aomine laugh.

“I thought the living arrangements were separated...?”

“They are, dumbass. Didn’t you read the property description?” Aomine reached into his bag and pulled out the soda bottle. “You like cola?”

Kagami nodded, and Aomine tossed it to him underhanded, which Kagami caught with ease. Aomine lifted his chin, humming.

_He still has quick reflexes. This could turn out to be interesting._

“Thanks.”

“Sure. Let’s go. I don’t have a car, so you’ll have to walk.” Aomine glanced at his bike and back at Kagami. “Think you could keep up with my bike?”

Kagami frowned, annoyance flaring up in his eyes. Aomine suddenly felt like the summer wouldn’t be too terrible after all, if he had Kagami to rile. Aomine smirked at him and grabbed his bike. When he didn’t hop on, but began pushing it along, Kagami followed, eventually matching his stride.

They didn’t speak for the majority of the walk, but Aomine was fine with that. He observed Kagami out of the corner of his eye. The guy looked about the same since the last time he’d seen him; bulked up, but maybe a bit taller, which meant Kagami had caught back up with Aomine. His hair was a little shaggier, which Aomine expected was going to get on his nerves in the humidity. Kagami seemed a little off balance as they approached the beach, his mouth set in a line.

“You nervous or something?” Aomine questioned, heaving the bike up and over the small wall between the sidewalk and the beach to take a shortcut to the house.

“What? Why would I be nervous? It’s just a weird coincidence that your uncle owned the house I would be staying at.”

“Oh, it ain’t a damn coincidence,” Aomine grumbled. “I bet the bastard recognized your name and jumped on it.” Kagami glanced at him, saying nothing, before looking out towards the water. Aomine tapped his fingers on his bike handles. “Are you really staying the whole summer?”

“Unless something changes with work, yeah.”

Kagami didn’t mention what exactly that work was, and Aomine didn’t feel like asking. They reached the house, and as Aomine set his bike underneath the stairs, Kagami hesitated by the door.

“You can go inside. It’s clean. There’s some food in the kitchen, but knowing your appetite, you’ll probably want to buy a lot more.”

Kagami chuckled and adjusted the strap on his backpack.

“You’re not wrong there.”

“Am I ever?”

“Plenty.”

Aomine scoffed and headed up the stairs to his own floor.

 

\---

 

While toweling his hair after showering, Aomine cursed down at his phone.

“Of course the bastard decides to stop responding to me _now_.” Aomine threw his phone onto his bed and walked towards the opposite side of the room to turn on the television. He knew his uncle had some part in hosting Kagami, but the man had yet to email him back after Aomine sent him a message full of questions.

Resigning to flipping through television stations, Aomine quickly grew bored at the lack of interesting programs on. If this was a sign of things to come during the summer, Aomine realized that he would need to find something to keep him entertained, or he’d die from boredom.

He was saved, for that night at least, when there was a light knock on his door. When Aomine opened it, Kagami was standing there awkwardly, his hands stuffed deep into his shorts pockets.

“Yo.”

“So, I, uh, cooked.”

Aomine stared at him.

“Yeah, and? Did something break in the kitchen?”

“What? Oh, no. I thought that you might want some.”

Aomine perked up at that. His stomach grumbled, belatedly reminding him that he hadn’t eaten lunch.

“Hell yeah. I’ll be right down.”

Kagami nodded and headed back down the stairs. Aomine grabbed his phone from his bed but left the television on. He paused by his door to decide if he should bother slipping on shoes to walk ten damn feet. Ultimately, he walked down barefoot; if he tracked any sand onto Kagami’s floor, Kagami could always use the broom Aomine’s uncle had him buy to sweep it up.

 

Aomine ate, went for seconds, went for _thirds_ , before he collapsed onto the couch with a full stomach, feeling satisfied.

“Was it good?” Kagami asked. It had been _great_ , but Kagami didn’t need a big head.

“It was alright.” When Aomine saw that Kagami was trying not to look deflated, his uncle’s advice on friendliness came to mind. Although, since Aomine and Kagami had known each other for three years, he didn’t think it really counted.

“It was pretty good,” Aomine finally conceded.

“Good.”

Kagami sat down on the opposite side of the couch. He fidgeted as silence filled the space between them. Aomine thought he could doze off; he still wasn’t used to the sun and how easily it sapped his energy. Kagami huffed when he realized Aomine’s intentions.

“Same as always.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You eat someone’s food and then crash at their place.”

“You sound like you’re used to it, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Kagami proceeded to tap his fingers against the couch, which made Aomine increasingly annoyed.

“You have something else to say?”

“I just...wanted to ask how you were.”

“Just peachy. Why do you care?”

“Why are you being defensive?”

Aomine lifted his head and looked at him. “I’m not. I just don’t see how it matters. Small talk is boring.”

“I thought it was normal for friends to ask each other that,” Kagami responded.  Aomine clicked his tongue.

“Are we friends?”

Kagami seemed to think on the question seriously, but when he shrugged, Aomine rolled his eyes.

“Glad we cleared that up.”

The silence that followed was more comfortable than the previous one. Aomine leaned back into the couch and Kagami awkwardly adjusted his legs.

“You know these seats are recliners, right?”

“Really?” Kagami leaned over the side of the couch and pulled the lever, releasing the leg rest. He immediately stretched out and sighed. “This is great.”

“Comfy?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. Wanna make dessert?”

The glare Aomine received was the best thing he’d seen so far since arriving at the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I will try to update when I can. Thank you so much for reading. Please leave comments/kudos as they are very encouraging. See you next time. 
> 
> Come talk, if you'd like!  
> tumblr: grumpyelf  
> twitter: @diodaddy


	2. Pay No Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kagami around, Aomine begins to feel _something_. As to what that something is, he's not so sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update!! When I posted the first chapter, I was getting neck deep into the end of my semester and was incredibly busy. Now that I'm free for the summer, I'm hoping to update a lot more often. Thank you for reading, giving kudos, and commenting! It means a lot. I hope you guys like this chapter!

Aomine woke to a dark room and an uncomfortable heat. Eyes blinking open, he attempted to shift where he lie, wincing as his irritated skin slowly peeled from the material of the couch. He rubbed at his arms, finding his skin slightly damp from sweat. Wondering if the air conditioning was busted, he sat up completely, causing a blanket to slip off of his body and down to the floor. The cool air of the house was a sudden comfort as he bent over the couch to pick up the blanket. He frowned, trying to remember if he had even decided to crash on the couch in the first place. 

He glanced towards the kitchen, a sweet scent lingering in the conjoined space, when he remembered the dessert Kagami had fixed up after his persistent begging. Aomine wasn’t sure what it was, but it involved something fried with cream and fruit and it had been fucking  _ delicious _ . Aomine had pouted after they devoured it; he had pushed Kagami to fix more, but the guy was as stubborn and unmoving as a boulder. Aomine was pretty sure that Kagami was hiding a small portion of leftovers somewhere, and at that thought, he willed himself off of the couch to search the kitchen.

As Aomine stepped around the space, he shook his head as he realized Kagami had already washed everything he had used to cook that night.

“Doesn’t he know that he’s paying for the dishwasher, too? Might as well use it.” 

Aomine searched the refrigerator and freezer, both lacking any remnants of the leftover dessert, and moved on to the pantry. The longer he searched, the more bored he became, before he finally accepted that the dessert was all gone. He didn’t fail to notice, however, that there was still fruit in the refrigerator, which sparked an idea in his head; an idea that inevitably led Aomine straight to Kagami’s bedroom.

 He knocked once, and when he didn’t receive a reply, he opened the door. Aomine could describe the wave of snoring he heard as if he had opened a door to a concert venue: sudden and  _ loud _ . 

“Jesus,” Aomine mumbled as he approached Kagami’s form. He leaned down to tap Kagami’s shoulder, but the guy didn’t move; he just kept snoring like he had something shoved up his nose, the sound making Aomine want to cover his face with a pillow. Aomine grabbed his shoulder instead and shook him.

“Kagami!”

“Huh? What?” Kagami replied as he shot up in bed, voice gruff with sleep. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothin’. I wanted to ask you something.”

Kagami blinked up at him, the redhead’s face barely visible in the moonlight filtering through the bedroom window. 

“What is it?”

“There’s still some fruit in the fridge. Can you fix some more of that dessert?”

Kagami continued to blink at him, a moment of pure silence filling the space as Aomine waited for his reply.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“Why the hell would I bother coming in here to wake you up if I wasn’t serious?” Aomine answered, his voice raising in volume. Kagami frowned at him, but from where Aomine was standing, he didn’t seem that intimidating, despite the rumbling tenor of his voice as he continued to argue. 

“Yes, please, tell me why you came into my  _ bedroom _ at four in the morning to ask me about  _ food _ .” 

“I woke up on the couch and I was hungry. By the way, did you put that blanket over me?”

Kagami’s face faltered for a moment before it fell back into a frown. 

“Yeah, you passed out after we ate so I thought you’d get cold with the a.c. running.” 

“I sweated so much that I stuck to the couch.”

“I was just- uhg,” Kagami grunted, rubbing his face with his hands. “Considering that we’re not technically roommates but you somehow still managed to crash here, you really shouldn’t be the one complaining.”

“But since I’m still here, that offer of cooking for me still stands, right?”

“I offered you dinner, not a late night snack. And you’re staying upstairs, so it shouldn’t be that hard to walk back up there and fix your own damn food.”

Aomine shifted his weight and stuck his hands into his shorts pockets, contemplating on his next course of action.

“Kagami.” 

“What?” The redhead replied, his voice terse. 

“How hot did you set the stove?”

“Like, medium setti- wait, did I leave it on?!” Kagami jolted from his bed, causing him to trip over his bed sheets. Aomine stepped forward to stop his freefall, hands flat against Kagami’s bare chest as he helped him regain his balance. Kagami’s skin was warm as he left his hands there, a faint heartbeat drumming steadily against Aomine’s fingertips. It had been a while since Aomine was this close to Kagami; he still found his presence to be encompassing, leaving impressions of heat and intensity that Aomine knew were just fragments of his true nature. That nature...Aomine had felt it on the court for three years. Even during the months of unfulfilled plans predating their graduations, Aomine finally recognized, now, that he had missed this proximity.

Aomine dropped his hands, the realization quickly consuming his attention until the sound of Kagami untangling his feet from his bed sheets broke his reverie.

“Whoa, Taiga,” Aomine teased, stretching his arms behind his back. Kagami gave him a weird look, to which he responded, “What? It was perfect timing.” 

“That was a lame joke,” Kagami replied as he walked past Aomine to leave his room. Aomine clicked his tongue but followed closely behind him, hovering around Kagami as the redhead inspected the stove. Eventually he sighed, satisfied with the state of the kitchen. 

“So...” Aomine started, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Since you’re already in here...”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Kagami questioned, looking exasperated. Aomine huffed a laugh.

“Actually, no. I was going to try and recreate whatever that dessert was.”

“Can you even cook?”

“I have before,” Aomine replied. When Kagami raised an eyebrow at him, he frowned. “What? I have!”

“Once? Twice? Did you burn anything?”

“Alright, asshole, since you’re so good at cooking, why don’t you show me how  _ not _ to burn anything while you fix me more of that dessert?” Aomine watched Kagami’s face as the guy thought of how to reply. He knew Kagami could cook -  _ damn _ could he cook - but Aomine also knew that when presented with a challenge, it was unlikely for Kagami to turn it down, even if it annoyed him to do it. 

“Fine, I’ll do it. And not because you asked so politely,” Kagami spoke, leaning down to look in the fridge. “But because you may set fire to your uncle’s beach house.” 

“I wouldn’t start a fuckin fi-”

“And you’re doing dishes, by the way.”

“There’s a dishwasher.”

“Pans won't fit in the dishwasher, Ahomine.”

The familiar nickname made Aomine pause, but when he caught Kagami smirking, he retaliated by pinching the redhead’s side.

“Ow!” Kagami yelped, twisting away from Aomine’s reach. Aomine smirked, tucking his hands under his armpits as he watched Kagami step towards the kitchen sink and turn the water on.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing a shirt while you cook? Isn’t it hygienic or whatever?” Aomine asked, satisfied as he witnessed Kagami’s back tense.

“You got me out of bed!” Kagami growled as he scrubbed his hands. “Are you ever going to stop complaining?” 

“Depends on if I get bored watching you get riled up.”

Kagami suddenly moved, the sound of running water stopping and starting again as he switched faucets. Aomine moved forward, curious, only to be met with a spray of cold water on his face. He sputtered, immediately wiping at his face, the water sending goosebumps across his skin. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kagami pointing the sink nozzle at him, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Hm, this  _ is  _ effective in shutting you up.”

“What the hell, Kagami?” Aomine yelled, pulling up his shirt to wipe his face. “If there’s water damage to this house, you’ll be payin’ for it.”

“This is a beach house, how could there not be water proofing?” Kagami asked, spraying Aomine again. Aomine growled and moved towards Kagami, but Kagami sprayed him again mid-lunge, the water surging into his mouth and up his nose.

“That’s it, you son of a bitch,” Aomine muttered, turning back towards the fridge, where he pulled open the freezer and fished around inside for his prize. 

“No.” The single word response sounded behind him, before heavy footsteps signaled that Kagami was retreating. Aomine grabbed a handful of ice and chased after him, hopping over the puddle of water on the kitchen floor. Aomine reached Kagami’s bedroom door right as the redhead was trying to shut it and pushed against it. Kagami pushed back, grunting as they entered a stalemate. 

“C’mon, Kagami, I can’t be the only wet one here. Let me help you out.”

“Is that supposed to be an innuendo?” 

“It can be if you want it t-” 

Kagami suddenly jumped away from the door, causing Aomine to fall forwards into the room. Kagami laughed as he tried to skirt around Aomine’s reaching hands, but Aomine managed to grab ahold of Kagami’s shorts. He pulled at them and tossed the partially melted ice cubes in before falling to the floor. The elastic of Kagami’s shorts slapped back at his skin and he howled as he danced around, trying to remove the affronting items. 

“It’s c-cold! Cold!” He shouted, running towards the bathroom. Aomine laughed earnestly, his belly aching at the sight of Kagami shoving his hand down his shorts to retrieve the ice. 

“Guess you’ll have to wash your hands again, Kagami!” He called out from his position on the floor. 

“I’m not cooking for you, you fucking asshole!” Kagami retorted, his voice suppressed from the closed bathroom door.

“You started it!”

“You woke me up!”

“For good reason.”

Whatever Kagami said in response was lost to the sound of the sink being turned on. Aomine smirked and stood up from the floor, whistling as he walked past the bathroom. He stripped from his shirt and hung it on the back of one of the chairs in the dining area before pulling out the fruit and whipped cream from the fridge. As he was looking for the other ingredients, he noticed Kagami standing at the edge of the kitchen, adorning a fresh pair of shorts and a faraway look in his eyes.

“Feeling refreshed?” Aomine baited. His words seemed to bring Kagami back to his present mind but there was no evidence of them bugging him. Instead, Kagami tousled Aomine’s hair and pushed his head down. 

“Idiot. You take these out last; they need to stay cool.” 

Aomine opened his mouth to comment, but once he realized Kagami was  _ actually _ going to start cooking, he shut it, not wanting to spoil the redhead’s mood enough to send him back to bed. Although, after throwing ice into Kagami’s underwear (he thought he got a few in there, which was a bonus), Aomine wasn’t sure what would be the tipping point. 

“Can you get the flour out of the pantry?” Kagami prompted, to which Aomine wordlessly followed. He watched Kagami create a batter, skillfully and quickly mixing various ingredients. He talked Aomine through it as he waited for the stovetop to heat the pan he was using. Once he brought the fruit back out, dipped them in batter, and placed them on the pan, Aomine’s stomach growled as the smell wafted up into his face. 

“Don’t faceplant into the stove. That’d be a painful trip to the hospital,” Kagami joked, setting some of the fruit on a plate once they were done cooking. Aomine rolled his eyes but took a long inhale close to the pan anyways, sighing at the sugary smell. “You can also make a dough to fry and place the fruit and toppings on afterwards; it tastes just as good.”

“I bet it does,” Aomine replied, grabbing the whipped cream. He scooped a heavy dollop of it onto the dessert and ate a piece, moaning as it came in contact with his tongue. “This is so fucking good, Kagami.”

“You like it that much?”

“Hell yeah I do.”

“Cool.”

Once Kagami was done, he turned off the stove before eating a few pieces of his own, humming as he licked whipped cream off of his fingers.

“It’s good with powdered sugar, too. I should see if the store has some.”

“What’s that?”. 

“You’ve never had powdered sugar?”

“I don’t think so? Is it good?”

“It’s delicious. It goes even better with this dessert.”

Aomine paused mid-chew and stared at Kagami.

“I’m taking you to the store tomorrow.”

Kagami laughed quietly as he took some of the dishes to the sink. Aomine patted him on his shoulder and motioned for Kagami to follow him.

“Leave ‘em. Let’s go to the beach.”

“We’re on the beach. And it’s five in the morning.”

“So? You haven’t been out there yet, and sunrise is in, like, an hour and a half.”

Kagami blinked at him with uncertainty not for the first time that night. Aomine raised an eyebrow at him, turning towards the door once Kagami nodded his head. 

“Don’t bother with shoes.”

 

\---

 

“It’s not as cold as I thought it would be,” Kagami commented, stretching his legs out across the sand. 

“The sand might not be, but the water sure as hell is,” Aomine grunted, remembering how idiotically he had dove into the waves on the first day he had arrived to the beach house, right after the rain. 

“Hmm,” Kagami replied noncommittally, staring out at the water. “I’ll wait for a hot day before attempting to go for a swim.”

They fell silent, the sound of the ocean meeting the shore a comfortable background noise as they continued to sit on the beach, watching as the dark blues of the sky brightened with the coming sun. Aomine felt sleepy, but elected to shift his position in the sand so that he could at least watch the sunrise. Through his uncle’s insistency, the idea of watching the sunrise stuck in Aomine’s head, but he thought it’d be boring by himself, hence the reason he’d recommended it to Kagami.  Realizing that that meant he at least  _ enjoyed _ Kagami’s company to a degree, Aomine suddenly felt awkward, wondering if Kagami felt similarly. Why he was getting hung up on what the guy thought, Aomine didn’t have a clue.

“What were you up to these past few months?” Aomine asked, keeping his eyes on the horizon. He sensed Kagami shift next to him, the movement accompanied by a quiet laugh. 

“I thought you said small talk was pointless?”

“This ain’t small talk. I’m genuinely curious about what the hell you’ve been doing since the last tournament.”

Kagami sighed wistfully, which made Aomine turn his head. 

“I was way too busy. And stressed. I thought that once basketball had ended, I would have all this time open up, but then came end of year examinations, family visits, and trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do after high school. Still trying to figure that out, really.”

Aomine wasn’t expecting such a straightforward answer; he sat there, letting the information soak in, before speaking up.

“Is that why you canceled so much?” When Kagami turned his head to meet his gaze, Aomine felt more emboldened, his desire for answers swelling up within him. “Why the fuck did you bail on me?”

Kagami grimaced but didn’t look away; instead, he actually turned more fully towards Aomine, his attention focused. 

“I had a lot of shit to do.”

“Yeah? So did I.”

“I didn’t think you cared about our one on ones so much.”

“Don’t get sappy on me, Kagami,” Aomine mumbled, an uncomfortable feeling filling his chest. “After basketball, I got so fucking bored I actually  _ studied _ .”

Kagami suddenly laughed, amused disbelief apparent on his face. 

“That’s ridiculous.”

“ _ I know _ .”

“How did you do on your examinations?”

Aomine frowned down at the sand as he answered, “Better than I had done all of high school.”

“Imagine that,” Kagami laughed again, facing the water. The sun began to peek above the water, warm hues of gold and pink mixing with softening blues. Aomine watched it, his unease fading as the sun’s warmth gradually reached him. 

“I’m sorry, Aomine.”

“Now you’re really getting sappy. Is this how you are normally?” Aomine poked, ignoring how pleased he felt at Kagami’s apology. 

“I just thought that if we’re going to be hanging out all summer....”

“You’re gonna play nice?” 

Kagami huffed, a small smile on his face as he watched the sunrise. The morning sun made the red of his hair shine brilliantly, as if it belonged in the range of colors that painted the sky. Aomine couldn’t look away.

_ Is sappiness contagious? _

“If we weren’t really friends before, I thought that maybe we could be now,” Kagami offered, catching Aomine’s gaze. Aomine could recognize the sincerity in what he was saying and thought it wouldn’t be so hard to try.

“Yeah, Kagami,” Aomine conceded, offering a small smile of his own. “As long as you make up for all of those one on ones.”

Kagami perked up at that. “Is there a basketball court nearby?”

“There’s one a ways down the beach.” 

“You got a ball?” As Aomine started to reply, Kagami held up his hand. “Don’t make the joke I think you’re going make.” 

“Pfff.”

“Let’s go.”

“Right now? I thought you wanted to go back to bed after the sunrise?” Aomine asked, despite the rush of adrenaline suddenly coursing through his body. Kagami stood, his stance one that Aomine recognized immediately. 

“What? Are you afraid to lose, Ahomine?” Kagami taunted, grin sharp. Aomine returned the grin and stood, the immediacy of a match with Kagami too good to pass up. 

“You wish.”

 

\---

 

They played well through the morning, their skin flushed pink from a combination of their exertion and the unobstructed sun. The sky held no clouds, making the small beachfront town grow explicitly hotter the closer it approached noon. They stopped a couple hours shy of lunchtime, the two of them splayed across a bench that was graced by some shade of an overhanging tree growing next to the court. 

“We should have...brought more water,” Kagami panted, wiping sweat from his forehead with his towel. He had mentioned to Aomine that he was unaccustomed to the heat and used that as his reasoning behind why he didn’t win a single match. Aomine had called bullshit.

“Didn’t think we’d play this long,” Aomine replied, blinking as he stared beyond the fence around the court and towards the ocean, the reflectivity of the sand harsh on his eyes. 

“Was it really a surprise, though?”

“No,” Aomine snorted, glancing at Kagami. The guy had laid his towel across his face, which Aomine pulled off and used to smack Kagami in the chest, inciting protests from the redhead. “I think there’s an ice cream stand around the block. Let’s go.”

“We haven’t had lunch yet.”

“What are you, my mom? Who cares? They probably have drinks, too. C’mon.” 

They both groaned when they stood from the bench. Aomine rubbed at his skin to get rid of some sand that had collected there, only to hiss at the friction. 

“I think I got sunburned.” 

“Same here,” Kagami said, looking over his arms and chest. “We should probably buy some lotion from the store.”

“Now you’re really starting to sound like my mom. I don’t need that shit,” Aomine retorted as he walked off the court and down the sidewalk, Kagami a few steps behind him.

“You’ll want it when you won’t even be able to lie down because it hurts so much.”

Aomine shrugged. Eventually, he led Kagami to the ice cream stand and handed the owner some money. He handed an ice cream pop to Kagami before digging into his own, a sigh passing his lips at the refreshing sweetness of the confection.

“Thanks,” Kagami said as he took a bite. 

“Eh, call it payback for dessert.” 

Kagami nodded and mindlessly followed Aomine as he continued walking down the street. However, curiosity soon pulled him from his ice cream daze and he asked, “Where are we going now? I could use a shower.”

“I’m taking you to the local shop so you can get your lotion. And powdered sugar.”

“How thoughtful,” Kagami teased. He laughed around his ice cream when Aomine threw him a glare. “The store clerks are going to let us in without wearing shirts?”

“Who knows? I mean, it’s a beach town; they gotta realize not everyone’s going to be wearing standard clothing all day everyday. Especially tourists.”

“Aren’t we technically tourists?”

“If you wanna be a tourist so badly, Kagami, I’ll give you a copy of my uncle’s ‘must see’ attraction list, and you can go mingle.”

“As long as there’s a top rated karaoke bar, I’m in.”

Aomine turned to Kagami, amused. “You do karaoke?” 

“I dabble.”

“I need to hear that story.” 

“It involves most of Seirin.”

“Really?” 

Aomine stopped at the entrance of the store and motioned Kagami inside. Kagami gave him a quizzical look, glancing between him and the shop window.

“You’re not coming inside?”

“I was in there the past two days. I don’t want the clerk to think I’m going to visit the store every fucking day.” 

“If you’ve been here before, then you could show me where everything is,” Kagami countered, smirking when Aomine rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Let’s make it quick.”

“That shouldn’t be hard for you.”

Aomine pivoted towards the redhead, a curse forming on his lips, but when Kagami directed a cheeky grin his way, Aomine’s words died in his mouth. When Kagami realized that Aomine wasn’t going to rebut, he began whistling, putting on an innocent look as he passed by Aomine and stepped into the shop. Aomine shook his head but followed him nonetheless. 

“The little shit.”

“Good morning, sirs!” A young man welcomed, speaking nothing of their shirtless states. It was a different clerk than the one Aomine had interacted with and he slouched in relief that  _ that _ source of disguised mockery wouldn’t be aimed at him today. He was getting enough from Kagami as it was. 

Kagami acknowledged the clerk with a nod, but Aomine simply stepped around him and headed for the small shelf containing cooking ingredients. Kagami trailed him and began searching the shelf, only to cluck his tongue. Aomine frowned.

“What’s up?”

“They don’t have any powdered sugar.”

“We can order it for you!” They could hear the young man say from the front of the shop, the sound of approaching footsteps loud in the small store. When the clerk stood before them, Kagami scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

“Sure? Why not?”

“I can write down the order when you check out, sir. Was there anything else you were looking for?”

“Uh, some sun lotion...”

“Right this way!”

As Kagami followed the clerk, Aomine followed Kagami. The clerk brought them to another aisle and pulled a two-pack of brightly colored bottles from the shelf.

“One is sunscreen, and the other is to relieve sunburn,” the clerk explained. When Kagami took the package from the clerk’s hands, Aomine rolled his eyes. 

“See? You didn’t need me at all.”

“Quit complaining. Go get us some drinks.”

“Yes,  _ sir _ ,” Aomine mocked. He took his time reaching the familiar cooler at the front of the store and grabbed two water bottles. He already started drinking one when Kagami met him at the counter and made the purchases and order. 

“Have a nice day! Watch that sun!” The clerk waved goodbye as they exited the store.

It was noticeably hotter, the heat now beginning to radiate from the pavement. Despite the draining sunlight and an unplanned, early start to the day, Aomine was still buzzing with energy.

“What now?”

“We should go back to the house and take showers. Being in that small store made me notice that we fucking stink.”

Aomine had a thought, and as with most thoughts, once he had them it was hard to let them go. He opened his water bottle and flicked his wrist, sending a splash of water at Kagami’s face. The redhead sputtered and frowned at him.

“That’s not what I meant, dumbass.”

“Feeling better, Kagami?”

“No! Well, actually-” Kagami grabbed Aomine’s bottle and dumped the remaining contents on his head. “That feels a  _ lot _ better.”

“You asshole!” Aomine hit Kagami’s arm and Kagami shook his head to send water droplets flying. Kagami’s shaggy, damp hair fell into his eyes as he laughed, and Aomine was again met with a loss of words at the sight. It frustrated him, so he picked up his pace and sped ahead of Kagami, grumbling under his breath. 

“Aomine, wait,” Kagami called from behind him. 

“Find your own way back to the house.” Aomine heard the sound of Kagami’s sneakers hit the sidewalk as the guy caught up with him. 

“I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“No, I’m not. That water felt amazing.” 

“I’m going to toss you into the next swimming pool I see.”

“Is that a promise?” 

At that, Aomine couldn’t help a smile, although he tried not to let Kagami have the satisfaction of seeing it. When they rounded a corner, Kagami suddenly stopped, his hand shooting out to grasp Aomine’s shoulder.

“Ow, what gives man?” Aomine asked. When he turned, he saw that Kagami’s face had twisted with fear, his eyes wide as he stared beyond Aomine’s shoulder. Aomine followed his gaze and noticed, a little further down the sidewalk, that there was a medium sized dog -  a yellow lab, as far as he could tell - that was without a leash. 

“Aomine...”

“You still afraid of dogs?”

“The...small ones not so much anymore, thanks to Kuroko. But big ones are a different story.” 

“Look, man, I think it belongs to those people sitting at the table down there in front of the café. I think you’re in the clear.” Kagami’s grip didn’t loosen, though, and Aomine sighed. “Do you want to go a different way?”

“Yeah, I-”

“Jojo!” 

They both looked up to see an elderly woman leaning out of the café and calling for what seemed to be the dog, which was barreling towards them. Kagami yelled, but instead of running, he began climbing all over Aomine. 

“What the hell, man?! Am I supposed to be your shield?”

“I’ve found that running doesn’t really help in these situations. They’re so much faster than me.” 

The dog ran up to them, wagging its tail as it sat down at Aomine’s feet. Aomine stared at it, waiting for it to cause trouble, when it barked as if trying to get their attention. Kagami yelled again and  _ jumped _ , which made Aomine have to catch the redhead. Kagami’s arms wrapped tightly around Aomine’s torso, causing Aomine to hiss as he pressed against his sunburn.

“You’re fucking heavy, Kagami. And I think the dog just wanted to say hi,” Aomine complained, readjusting his grip on Kagami’s back. Kagami was warm everywhere he pressed against Aomine, the proximity once again amassing his attention. His skin was buzzing beneath the pain of his sunburn, and when Kagami hooked one of his arms around Aomine’s neck, Aomine increasingly felt like he didn’t want to let go of Kagami. 

While lost in his developing confusion, Aomine neglected to hear the initial apologies of the elderly lady until she approached them, wearing an apron with the café’s logo. 

“Jojo, that wasn’t very polite,” she scolded the dog, who dutifully walked to her side and sat back down. She looked at the pair of them, Aomine still holding a frightened Kagami, and gave an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. Jojo here is very sweet and likes to greet everyone on this sidewalk.”

“He’s friendly?” Kagami asked. When she nodded, Aomine could feel Kagami’s grip lighten up. 

“I’m sorry that he scared you. How about I give the two of you a complimentary lunch for your troubles.”

Kagami’s face was close to Aomine’s when he turned to look at him, and Aomine felt the insistent buzz surge stronger, making him feel fidgety and awkward. He let go of Kagami’s legs first, and when the redhead was steady, he stepped away from him completely and approached the woman. 

“Sounds good. We have big appetites, though,” he mentioned, trying to distract himself with the thought of food. It seemed to have distracted Kagami, too, because he brushed past the both of them and the dog to reach the café door. 

“Not to worry, dear,” the woman replied before tapping her chin. “Although, I will have to ask you both to sit outside, considering that neither of you are wearing shirts.”

“Will the dog be outside, too?”

“Yes, Jojo stays out here. Usually in the shade of the awning.” 

“We’ll take that lunch to go, then.”

 

\---

 

They walked to the beach house in silence, their lunch bags in hand. Aomine could feel Kagami occasionally glance at him but ignored it. Despite the great smelling food he was carrying, Aomine still felt distracted. 

As they neared the house, Kagami touched Aomine’s shoulder to get his attention. Aomine turned towards him and waited. He had expected for Kagami to be embarrassed by what happened, but instead he wore a sheepish grin, the tips of his hair curled against his face from when they were damp. 

“Sorry about all of that,” Kagami apologized, kicking at the gravel driveway.

“Forget it. Everybody’s afraid of something.”

The statement sounded heavier than he had intended it to be, but Kagami didn’t seem to mind.

“Thanks. Let’s eat. There’s a patio on the waterfront, right?”

“Yeah.” 

As they walked around to the side of the house that faced the ocean, Kagami hummed, his attention once again back on Aomine. 

“What are you afraid of?”

“Nothing.”

“Eh?! You just said everybody’s afraid of something!”

“Shut up and eat before I eat your lunch for you.”

“I bet you that I can eat mine faster than you can eat yours.”

“Alright, let’s see!”

  
Kagami won in the end, and with food in their bellies and the ocean breeze on their faces, they fell asleep under the shade of the patio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aomine is clueless. Kagami isn't going anywhere, so he'll eventually figure things out. _Eventually_ being the key word.
> 
> I hope to update soon! Next chapter, Kagami starts going to work and Aomine still won't wear sunscreen. Until next time! 
> 
> Come talk to me:  
> [tumblr](https://grumpyelf.tumblr.com)  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/diodaddy)
> 
> If you like Haikyuu!!, I have a fic [HERE](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5622910/chapters/12951439)! (I'm hoping to update this one this week too!).


	3. Let Me Show You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our actions and interactions typically catch up with us, no matter where we find ourselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been two months....I'm so sorry.
> 
> Thank you for your patience with me and my writer's block, and the general laziness that comes with summer. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's quite self-indulgent, but...isn't that the reason for this entire fic?
> 
> (i've read through this once, so more editing may be done in the future - please excuse any errors or sloppiness!)

As it was becoming routine, Aomine woke feeling warm and sticky with sweat. He blinked, quickly glancing around to find that he was still on the back patio of the beach house. The sun was low in the sky, telling him that it was evening, and he sat forward in his chair, grunting as his sunburnt skin pulled away from it. Noticing that Kagami was no longer on the patio and that he had taken the trash from their lunch with him, Aomine sighed and stood, slightly annoyed that he had wasted so much daylight. However, once he entered the beach house and found Kagami passed out on the couch, long limbs sprawled over the cushions and mouth ajar, he realized that he had a schedule-free summer to goof around. He hadn’t liked the months where communication with Kagami had gone quiet, but if anything had come out of it, it was the compulsion to keep busy and get shit done. While it was good for habit forming during school, he definitely didn’t need it on his vacation.

With blame directed at Kagami, Aomine found it easier to walk towards the couch to disrupt the redhead’s rest.

“Yo, Kagami.” With only soft snoring as a response, Aomine knelt down beside the couch and flicked Kagami in the nose. He smirked when Kagami woke with a start, but as sleepy, crimson eyes found his, said smirk disappeared.

“Is this going to become a habit for you? Interrupting my sleep?” Kagami asked, yawning.

“Thanks for cleaning up after lunch.” Aomine wasn’t planning on saying that, but after Kagami blinked at him and gave him a soft smile, Aomine conceded that maybe he should thank Kagami more often.

“No problem, dude. You seemed pretty conked out. Since I woke up before you I thought I’d throw the trash away before it blew down the beach.” Kagami haphazardly stretched out his arm and laid his hand on the top of Aomine’s head. He patted it a few times before rustling his hair, and Aomine once again felt an incessant warmth creep across his skin. “You fucking stink.”

Aomine slapped his arm away and stood up, huffing. “I fell asleep _outside_ , asshole.”

“I did, too, but when I woke up I came inside to shower. You know, the normal thing to do, instead of lingering around your friend to make them a victim of your bad b.o.” Aomine frowned and Kagami chuckled at him before turning on his side to face the back of the couch. “Go shower and relax. We had a long day.”

“If you sleep for much longer, you’re not gonna sleep well tonight,” Aomine commented as he walked towards the kitchen for a drink.

“Now who sounds like a mom?” Kagami rebutted as he peeked over the top of the couch, amusement shining in half-lidded eyes. Aomine pointedly looked away and grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator.

“Just pointing out the obvious,” he replied, slurping his drink loudly. He could hear Kagami shift on the couch, and when Aomine looked over, he was standing and stretching, skin red from their hours in the sun.

“I’m going to go sleep in my room. You’re welcome to hang out down here as long as you’re quiet. I have to get up early in the morning.”

“For what?” Aomine asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Kagami walked into the kitchen and fixed himself a glass of water, chugging it and placing the glass by the sink before answering.

“I start work tomorrow, Aho.”

“How was I supposed to know that?”

“I’ll be gone the whole morning, and probably into the afternoon as well. I’m not sure if that’s how my schedule will be all summer, but I’ll let you know once I find out.” Just as Aomine was about to question why he needed to know Kagami’s work schedule, the redhead plucked the soda can out of his hand, drank the last of it, and tossed it into the trash. “You’re technically the caretaker of this house, so I thought you’d like to know when your tenant is coming and going.”

“You know I don’t care what you do, Kagami. Except when you steal my shit,” Aomine slapped the back of Kagami’s head in retaliation. Kagami huffed and sidestepped him when he reached out to hit him again, raising his hands in the air in surrender as he left the kitchen.

“Think of it this way: I’ll be out of your hair for several hours a week and you’ll get to enjoy the peace and quiet.”

“Yeah,” Aomine responded as Kagami walked down the hall towards his room.

“G’night!”

“Don’t wake me up in the morning!”

\---

 

After a long shower and a night of watching television programs that were barely interesting enough to keep his attention, Aomine slept well through the morning. It was nearing ten o’clock when he finally tumbled out of bed, hair wildly jutting out and clothes displaced. He lazily shuffled around his floor of the beach house, brushing his teeth and slipping into fresh clothes before sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop. The wifi was decent but out of the few times he had tried to use it, it was slow and a pain in the ass to load anything other than his email and a few social media sites - even those didn’t load that well.

He was chewing down a slice of pineapple when his email dinged at him to tell him he had recently received a new message. Surprise, surprise, it was from his uncle.

“The bastard finally decided to respond,” Aomine grumbled as he opened the email. The response was short but to the point, and Aomine was left with a contradictory mixture of relief and suspicion.

 

“ _I apologize for not responding earlier. While I admit that I recognized Kagami as someone you played basketball with in high school, the offer to allow him to stay with a discount was not made with ill intentions. I thought that since you two knew each other, the space would both be accommodating and enjoyable for him. This way it would also be comfortable for you instead of having you interact with complete strangers. If you have any other questions, please email me.”_

 

That was the end of that. Aomine frowned at his laptop screen, pineapple juice lingering on his chin as he typed a quick response.

“I know you’re getting something out of this,” he said aloud as he closed the browser window. Instead of wasting more energy on whether or not his uncle had any hidden aims in Kagami’s stay, Aomine opened up a game of solitaire from his desktop. He was into his second game when his phone buzzed.

 

**[10:23 AM] Kagami: I should be getting off of work in about an hour. Wanna meet in town for lunch?**

[10:24 AM] Aomine: yeah sure. where do you wanna eat?

**[10:26 AM] Kagami: is there anywhere with a buffet? I’m starving**

[10:26 AM] Aomine: you read my mind

 

\---

 

In a matter of thirty minutes after meeting up, both Kagami and Aomine were kicked out of the restaurant, the owner chastising them about how inexplicably rude it was to eat the majority of the buffet and not leave enough for the other customers. Aomine felt no remorse, patting his stomach as they walked down one of the many sidewalks of the town. He did notice, however, that even though Kagami had laughed when they were thrown out, there were still traces of guilt in his eyes.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Kagami. You apologized, right?”

“Yeah, but-”

“And it _did_ state that once you paid the meal fee, it was all you can eat. I guess they just weren’t expecting us.”

Kagami smiled at that, and Aomine counted it as a victory.

“It hit the spot, that’s for sure. I didn’t do much at work today, but I got hungry really quickly. I know it’s going to get brutal in this heat.”

“So where _do_ you work? You never told me.”

Kagami seemed to hesitate, worrying at his lip with his teeth.

“You wouldn’t be interested in it.”

_Why would you assume that?_ Aomine wanted to ask, but instead he shrugged and let it be. The topic would come up again sooner or later. Having no other plans for the day, he asked if Kagami wanted to do anything else in town or otherwise. Kagami was quiet for all of five seconds before his face lit up.  He snapped his fingers and latched his hands onto Aomine’s shoulders, giving him a light shake.

“You know what we haven’t done yet and really should do?”

“Get drunk?”

“No. I mean, yes, but that’s not what I was thinking.”

“Gone to a strip club?”

“No!”

“People watch at the beach? And by watch I mean check out.”

“Would you- _no_.”

“Then what?”

“Swimming, Aho!”

“Oh.”

Suddenly, Aomine was nervous. Sure, he had planned to get into _some_ body of water at _some_ point during his vacation, but for _some_ reason it hadn’t crossed his mind that he’d be doing it with Kagami, in which case he’d have to tell him-

“What’s that face for?”

“What?” Aomine asked, stepping around Kagami to continue walking down the sidewalk. Kagami had to maneuver around some tourists to appear in front of him again, a searching look on his face.

“ _That_ face. The one you’re making right now.”

“What _about_ it?”

“Do you not want to go swimming?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just...”

Realization dawned on Kagami’s face and Aomine hated it, feeling more embarrassed than he ought to be in this situation.

“You can’t?”

“No, I can’t. It’s whatever.”

“I never even thought of it before.”

“Well, now you know. So you can go by yourself.”

“I’ll teach you.”

Aomine stopped in his tracks, causing the person walking behind him to crash into him. They mumbled profanities and stepped around him, but Aomine paid them no mind. He stared at Kagami, trying to decipher his intentions.

“Why?”

“Because...swimming is fun? And it’s fucking hot in this town? Why _not_ teach you? You taught me some things about basketball in high school. Maybe I could return the favor.”

_You taught me some things, too_ , he refrained from saying.

“You’re already better at it than me, isn’t that enough?” Aomine questioned, attempting to keep the sneer out of his tone. Kagami just looked more and more confused.

“Not everything has to be a competition, Aomine.”

“Says the most competitive guy I know.”

Kagami couldn’t argue with that and shrugged. “We _could_ make it a competition, although I was just trying to help. I’d challenge your bets any day, but this isn’t one of them. It’s just...hanging out. Seems to me that you don’t like that you’re not good at something, and maybe you’re afraid to try it in the event that you don’t really have a knack for it.”

“I can be good at anything,” Aomine protested, aware that Kagami was sounding more agreeable as he continued talking.

“Well, then, why not let me teach you? Is it beneath you?”

Aomine regarded Kagami as his equal. He had thought that for a long time. He had enough self-awareness that he could recognize that his defensiveness was stemming from something other than Kagami simply teaching him how to swim. Inclined to ignore investigating exactly where the sudden self-consciousness was coming from, Aomine looked Kagami straight in the eye and shook his head.

“No, Taiga, I don’t think that.”

Kagami, with eyebrows raised, nodded his head.

“Good.” Kagami surprised Aomine then by slinging his arm around Aomine’s neck, using it to pull him forward down the sidewalk. “Let’s go get changed. I’m sure there’s a pool around this town that isn’t terribly crowded.”

“Why not go to the beach?”

“I would agree, but not knowing how to swim in combination with the tide would be a bad idea.”

 

Honestly, Aomine would have rather taken his chances with the ocean than be surrounded by screaming children and tipsy tourists at a public pool. The pool was a couple of miles from the beach house, and once they had arrived, sweaty from walking in the sun, Aomine immediately regretted agreeing to Kagami’s offer. They had scoped out a couple of other pools in town on their way to the beach house and this was the least crowded of them all, Kagami reminded him. He followed his friend into the gated pool area and stripped himself of his shirt when they found a table shaded by an umbrella.

Aomine may not have known how to swim but he could damn near _float_ , and as he waded into the pool, Kagami watching him expectantly, he thought that floating was enough of a qualifier when facing the sea’s undertow; something he would have gladly done instead of  _this_.

When he stood in front of Kagami, he realized how ridiculously giant they appeared in the shallow end of the pool, especially in comparison to the numerous small children splashing about.

_At least the water isn’t freezing_ , he thought. It was a small consolation for the embarrassment he felt as Kagami began manhandling him in the water.

“Oi!” Aomine hissed as Kagami held onto his hips, his movements slow in the water as he tried to jump back from the redhead. Kagami raised his arms, not trying in the least to hide his amusement. The bastard.

“I’m going to have to touch you to help teach you technique. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, just warn me next time,” Aomine mumbled, stepping back towards Kagami. He could already feel strangers’ eyes on them. Kagami slowly placed his hands back on Aomine’s hips and turn him so that he was facing Kagami’s left, his body now perpendicular to Kagami’s own. One hand moved to Aomine’s stomach, while the other settled on his lower back.

“Do you know anything about swimming?”

“Hmm, Kise used to talk about it sometimes, but I don’t know the specifics. I can float, though.”

“Can you?”

Aomine twisted his head to look Kagami in the eye, exasperated. “Yeah.”

“Okay, then lift your legs.”

“Huh?”

“Lift your legs so that you can float. I’ve got you.”

Aomine lifted one leg and then the other, and Kagami accommodated the shift in weight distribution, holding him aloft so that Aomine’s head remained above the water line while the rest of his body was submerged. The slide of Kagami’s hands on his skin under water felt strange, and Aomine found himself paying more attention to the sensation than what Kagami was trying to teach him.

“Obviously, the objective is to just...float. So I’m going to let go. We’re in the shallow end for a reason, so if you need to steady yourself, you can stand up.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I’m letting go.”

Aomine immediately sunk, his nostrils burning as chlorine water rushed up his nose. He stood, sputtering, the urge to curse sudden and strong. He refrained, being in the presence of children, and wiped water from his face.

“I know how to fuc-...I know how to float.”

“By my trained eye, I’d say that you’re bluffing,” Kagami teased. The cocky bastard stood there with his hands on his hips, smile firmly in place, as Aomine rubbed at his nose.

“I ain’t lyin’.”

“When was the last time you tried to float?”

“......Middle school.”

Kagami snorted, his head ducked close to his chest as his shoulders trembled with the silent laughter that followed.

“You’ve gained a lot more muscle mass since then, Aomine. You’re heavy. You’re going to have to relearn how to float.”

“What do you suggest then, _sensei_?”

“Let’s try having you on your back.”

“Fine.”

Aomine once again lifted his legs, Kagami’s grip now at the center of his back and behind his knees. Aomine sighed, staring up at the blue of the sky as gentle pool waves ebbed in and out of his ears, making his hearing spotty at best. Kagami was saying something, but Aomine got distracted by how the sunlight reflected off of Kagami’s hair and how concentrated Kagami looked as his gaze traveled along Aomine’s body, no doubt inspecting his performance of whatever technique he was trying to teach him. He was close to Kagami, his body moving with the water even with Kagami holding onto him. One of his hands slid lower down his back; Aomine felt warm again.

Eventually, he parced together some of Kagami’s instructions and straightened his back so that the top of his abdomen was out of the water. His long legs dangled down into the water, however, and Kagami went to correct them.

Aomine wasn’t stupid; he was just lazy. That laziness lent itself to processing thoughts and emotions - usually, he never dug further than he needed to when it came to how he or others felt, unless he could use it during a game. It didn’t take a genius to recognize the clench in his stomach that corresponded to the smooth trace of Kagami’s fingers against his inner thigh. The redhead’s grip tighten minutely against Aomine’s bare skin where his swim shorts had ridden up in order to help straighten his legs out in the water. When Kagami let go to test Aomine’s ability to float with his current body alignment, Aomine instantly bemoaned the loss of Kagami’s hands on him.

So, he was attracted to Kagami. It didn't really surprise him, but it was frustrating, considering that he hadn’t taken the time to realize it sooner. He sized Kagami up in a new light, his mouth going dry at the sight of Kagami’s muscled stomach and chest, water gliding down his skin.

He realized that Kagami was smiling at him before he realized that was actually floating in the water. He stood, shaking water out of his hair, and felt Kagami clap him on the back.

“Easy, right?”

“Yeah, not too bad.”

“The hard part is actually swimming.”

Aomine allowed - more like encouraged - Kagami to lay his hands on him as much as possible, no longer embarrassed nor regarding the eyes of the other swimmers. He was focused on swimming, of course, but strong hands moving over his bare skin borrowed his attention much more intensely.

As they were practicing the backstroke, Kagami’s hands holding onto Aomine’s body to keep him stationary, Aomine nursed the idea of getting his own hands on Kagami, from which a plan was formed. He tapped Kagami to release him and stood, stretching his arms.

“I think I’m good with form. I want to try the deep end.”

“Yeah? Let’s practice treading water first. It’ll help reinforce floating and leg movement.”

Aomine nodded and hopped along the pool’s bottom, his feet touching less and less of the tiled floor the deeper they went. The pool’s depth maxed out at eight feet, so Aomine wasn’t that intimidated, and he met Kagami in the middle of the deep end. He stopped directly in front of him and began kicking his feet as instructed, his arms floating perpendicular to his body. Kagami reached out to rest his hands against Aomine’s ribs, and Aomine tried to inch closer to him as inconspicuously as possible - that is to say, not at all inconspicuous.

“You feelin’ alright?” Kagami asked. Aomine glanced at him before looking down at the water between them. He was planning on feigning his trouble with treading and Kagami had just given him an in to that very plan.

“This is just making me feel more tired than I thought it would.”

“You can use me for support. That’s what I’m here for.”

Aomine wasted no time with protesting and draped his arms over Kagami’s shoulders, keeping his eyes on the redhead's collarbone. He was not yet bold enough to stare openly at Kagami in such a close proximity. Treading water was easier with Kagami as his support, but he felt Kagami begin to kick harder in order to keep them both afloat. Kagami’s hands left his chest and he used them to stroke through the water, and Aomine used the motion to mask his own movements. He trailed his hand down Kagami’s chest to grip at his hip, leaning backwards to catch Kagami’s expression. The redhead was worrying his lip again, and Aomine was careful not to let his eyes linger there.

“Are _you_ feelin’ alright?” Aomine asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I haven’t swam in a while either, so I’m getting tired myself,” Kagami responded, his breathing sounding faintly labored.

“When did you learn how to swim?” Aomine asked, genuinely curious. He wouldn't deny that he was also using the conversation to float closer to Kagami. Their knees began to bump in the water.

“When I was a kid, back in Los Angeles. Himuro and I learned together.”

“Did you go to the beach often?”

“We’d usually go after playing some basketball. The courts we played at were close to the beach.” Kagami paused to laugh; Aomine could feel the rumble of his chest beneath his palm. “I remember when I first tried to swim in the ocean. I got caught in the undertow, and Alex actually beat the lifeguard in getting to me. I had to be checked out by paramedics, and I was tasting salt for a whole week. It was a disaster.”

“I guess it was a good thing we didn’t go to the ocean, then,” Aomine mused. He’d still take on the sea eventually, and with Kagami there, he didn’t really have anything to worry about. His grip tightened on Kagami as a wave of fatigue hit him. He passed it off as if the swimming was catching up with him.

“I’m glad you agreed to come here. Saved me the trouble of dragging your ass away from the beach.”

“Fuck you, Kagami.”

Kagami laughed loudly at that, his eyes squinting closed with the action. Aomine’s stomach clenched again at the sight. When Kagami opened his eyes, he suddenly looked concerned, his hand coming up to cup Aomine’s jaw.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Aomine asked, blinking at him. A painful throb bursted through his skull, and he groaned, closing his eyes to the pain. He abruptly leaned forward, his head resting on Kagami’s shoulder as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. He went limp in the water and Kagami held him close before carrying him to the edge of the pool. If Aomine had been faking this, he would have congratulated himself on succeeding in being pressed against Kagami’s body. Considering that he had not planned to nearly pass out in a pool, he was more focused on getting on solid land.

“Aomine?”

“What?”

“I’m hoisting you up, okay?”

“Mmf.”

Kagami followed through and Aomine was sat down on hot concrete. His vision cleared enough for him to see straight, watching with an encroaching sense of nausea as Kagami gathered their things and walked swiftly back to Aomine’s side.

“Here, drink some water,” Kagami prompted, setting a water bottle down next to Aomine’s leg as he wrapped a towel around Aomine’s shoulders. Aomine took a few tentative sips before capping the bottle. “We’re heading back to the house. You need to get out of the sun.”

“Stop being a fuckin’ parent, Bakagmi. I’m fine.”

Kagami’s ministrations halted for a brief moment before he took hold of one of Aomine’s arms and wrapped it around his own neck, intending to hoist him up off the ground.

“I’m trying to help, asshole,” he retorted, pulling Aomine up before guiding him towards the pool’s exit. Aomine felt too nauseous to argue anymore, and so he allowed Kagami to assist him all the way back to the beach house.

Aomine felt exhausted by the time they reached it, and Kagami wasted no time in getting him to the bathroom.

“Take a lukewarm shower. I’ll be waiting for you in my room.”

“What the hell, Kagami? I’m alright, it’ll pass. You don’t need to play nurse.” A thought that didn’t sound too unappealing, now that he thought of it.

“You were shivering on the way over here,” Kagami commented, taking his towel off of Aomine's shoulders. He pressed the inside of his wrist against Aomine’s forehead and Aomine felt himself lean forward into the touch. “You’ve got a fever, too. You didn’t wear sunscreen again today, did you?” When Aomine didn’t answer, Kagami sighed. He ushered him to the shower before turning to leave the bathroom.

“Call me if you need me, okay? I don’t want you slipping and busting your head open.”

“Aye, sir,” Aomine lazily replied before shutting the door. He carefully stripped of his swim shorts and took a lukewarm shower as he was told, washing himself gingerly. His skin ached under the water of the showerhead, even with the low pressure setting. He had to pat himself dry with his towel once he got out, barely getting his clean underwear on without falling over.

As promised, Kagami was waiting in his room across the hallway, and the redhead quickly met him halfway so that he could help him to the bed. He had turned the television on but kept the volume low, and had apparently stacked a variety of things on his bedside table. Aomine belatedly realized that Kagami had prepared the room to take care of _him_ , but he was too nauseous to comment on it.

“Your sunburn is awful. You’re dehydrated and you need to rest.” Aomine simply nodded, allowing himself to be turned and inspected as he sat on Kagami’s bed. He drank the water offered to him, finishing it before he realized he had done so, and Kagami quickly refilled it. He began shivering again after a few moments, and Kagami sighed again.

“Before you get under the covers, I need to put some aloe on your sunburn. Do you want me to do it, or can you?”

Aomine could barely turn his head without wanting to puke, so he nodded once. “Go ahead.”

Kagami set to work immediately, squeezing out a heap of aloe and immediately spreading it over his legs. Aomine hissed at how cold it felt against his hot skin, but soon accepted it, finding the feeling of Kagami’s hands rubbing along his legs soothing. Again, he wished he could appreciate the situation more if wasn’t feeling so goddamn awful.

Kagami applied aloe to his arms next, his hands gentle as the carefully rubbed the lotion into his skin. Aomine was prompted to straighten up so Kagami could apply the aloe to his chest and stomach, and Aomine closed his eyes to the sensation, lamenting that this situation had to have happened under the circumstances.

Aomine’s back and shoulders were the worst hit by the sun, his skin radiating heat and aching so much that he could barely move. Kagami was as gentle as he could be, but Aomine couldn’t stop from hissing in pain at his touch.

Okay, so maybe he should wear sunscreen from now on.

“Drink some more water and take these painkillers, then lay on your side so the lotion can dry.”

“Yes, dear,” Aomine mumbled, once again doing as he was told. Kagami eventually pulled the blankets over him, the combination of shivering and feeling like his body was a furnace - already an incredibly annoying sensation - heightened under the fabric.

Kagami was close as soon as Aomine was settled, a damp washcloth at the ready. Aomine wondered when he had left to get it. He sighed in relief when Kagami placed it on his forehead, his eye cracking open to watch Kagami’s face. It was stoic, if a little worried, and he huffed.

“Don’t worry so much about me.” Kagami rolled his eyes, making Aomine grin.

“Dumbass. Take better care of yourself.” Kagami’s tone was without admonishment, though, and Aomine proceeded to simply look at him. For all that Kagami was - loud, brash, occasionally clumsy - Aomine couldn’t deny that there existed a gentleness in his touch and in his eyes. This time, Aomine’s chest clenched.

Kagami moved to the other side of the bed and lied down next to him, his attention now on the television.

“The day is still young, you know. You could go into town,” Aomine quietly suggested. He couldn’t see Kagami but he felt a slide of sheets, as if the guy intended to stay in bed with him. As it turned out, that was exactly Kagami’s intent.

“I’m not going anywhere,” was the quiet reply Aomine received.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Aomine wasn’t sure if he had said that last part out loud or simply thought it, but it didn’t matter much as he quickly fell asleep moments after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nurse!Kagami (◕‿◕✿)  
> I've experienced extreme sunburn/sun poisoning and it _sucks_. Aomine had it coming, though.
> 
> Unfortunately, Aomine's attraction will only remain simple for so long. Poor guy doesn't know what he's getting into.
> 
>  
> 
> It won't be the next update, but sometime in the future you'll be getting a chapter in Kagami's POV. That's gonna be fun to write! 
> 
> Thanks again for your patience and for reading this fic, and for your kudos & comments (those keep me living). I'm having fun with this story, and I hope you are, too. Until next time! (which i hope won't be two months from now....)
> 
> ~*~  
> [tumblr](http://grumpyelf.tumblr.com)  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/diodaddy)  
> ~*~


	4. Distractions & Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Quit teasing me,” Aomine replied, scowling at Kagami. It didn’t dent his chipper attitude, though, and it was more obvious then that he carried a secret behind his wet, cherry pop lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an update?? in 2018?? wow. it's been a hot minute, huh? enjoy the chapter! there's nsfw content below~
> 
> (there are probably still some things i need to edit so please excuse those)

The sound of waves gently coaxed Aomine from his sleep. Eyes cracked open, he silently watched those same waves breach the shore through Kagami’s bedroom window. The blinds were marginally open; enough to block the harshness of the sun’s light, but enough to give the room life as another day began. Aomine inhaled deeply before releasing his breath in a prolonged whistle through his dry lips. 

A savory scent caught his nose, barely obscured by the smell of sweat and dried aloe lotion on his skin. Encouraged by the distinct lack of nausea or debilitating pain across his skin, Aomine removed the sheets that covered him and sat up to stretch before standing to stretch some more.

It only struck Aomine of how damn domestic this all seemed once he passed the bedroom doorway to see Kagami working in the kitchen. Rolling leisurely out of bed, a familiar scent clinging to him just like the sheets of the man cooking him breakfast did. Quiet footsteps captured in the waves of a quiet morning. The familiar scent overwhelmed his still waking senses the closer he approached Kagami, and he swallowed, dry throat caught in the heavy embarrassment of his thoughts.  

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” Kagami commented, his attention briefly borrowed by Aomine’s presence before it returned to his task. “I thought you’d wake up soon, so I fixed us breakfast.”

Sentimentality dug its claws deeper into Aomine before his walls could be built up. His awareness of it only served to annoy him, but he thanked whatever self control he currently possessed that prevented him from hugging Kagami. Shirtless. In a kitchen. In his uncle’s beach house. 

“You alright? Still feel dizzy?” Kagami asked, his eyes now lingering on Aomine’s face. Aomine crossed his arms. 

“Why would you say that?” 

“Because you passed out from sun poisoning yesterday? You seem hazy.”

“Right.” Aomine grimaced. Kagami nodded his head towards the fridge, a silent reminder for Aomine to hydrate. Aomine didn’t protest. He opened the freezer to put ice in his glass, shivering slightly as the cold air brushed across his sensitive skin. He filled the glass with water from the tap and chugged it down before immediately refilling it. “Things get fuzzy when I sleep a long time.”

“Well, it’s just past dawn. You have the whole day to do whatever, but you should probably stay inside until the sunburn heals.” 

Aomine only grunted in response. 

“At least keep your shirt on outside?”

Another grunt. Kagami huffed a laugh and turned the stove off. He turned toward Aomine as he slung a dish towel over his shoulder, and Aomine cursed to himself at how easily Kagami fit in this setting, like a damn painting. 

“Your sunburn already looks better.” 

Aomine hummed then, thoughtful in the early morning hours. 

“Thanks.”

“For what?” Kagami asked. Aomine nearly rolled his eyes. 

“For helping me, dumbass.”

“Oh. Yeah, man, it’s fine.” Kagami paused, his weight shifting to one foot. “Glad I could help.” 

Kagami turned away then to begin fixing their plates and Aomine’s stomach growled from neglect. He hoped Kagami cooked a buffet’s worth of food. 

“You should put on some more aloe soon. Need help?” 

“What, so you can feel me up again?” Aomine blurted without much consideration. Then again, he probably still would’ve said it even if he  _ had _ reflected on his choice of words. 

Kagami faltered and overextended his spatula, sending a fried egg sailing well past the intended plate like a comestible frisbee and onto the kitchen floor. Kagami froze, mouth agape and body tense as he stared at the fallen egg. Somehow, the yolk was still intact. 

“That’s not-” Kagami started and stopped before pointing his spatula at Aomine, who was feeling beyond amused. “That’s your egg, by the way.”

“No way, it’s yours.” 

“Chef’s rules. You made me drop the egg, so you lose the egg.”

“What? I didn’t make you drop it. It’s still edible, just scoop it back up.”

“God, no.” Kagami seemed to physically recoil at the idea. “Just. I’ll cook another one.” 

Aomine watched as Kagami picked the egg up with a paper towel and tossed it into the trash, a forlorn look on his face. Aomine couldn’t help the laugh that had been building inside  him anymore and it came out as a long wheeze. Kagami scowled at him.

“ _ You _ get to wait for breakfast now, so laugh it up.” 

Aomine sobered up quickly. He scratched at his arm, immediately regretting the painful action. He looked up to see Kagami already at work on his replacement egg, his movements practiced and smooth as he rolled the pan to spread the oils within it. It was a tempting idea to steal the already made plate hanging out on the stove-side counter, but Aomine resisted and resigned to wait for Kagami to finish cooking. Whether the action was motivated by thoughtfulness or the desire to absorb their time eating together before Kagami had to work, Aomine was unwilling to investigate any further. 

“You can go ahead and take a seat, it’ll be done in a minute,” Kagami said, filling the silence. Aomine wordlessly rounded the kitchen island to sit on the opposite side. He leaned forward on his forearms, relishing the sensation of the cool counter against his warm, irritated skin. The beach house seemed serene in that moment as the cascading waves of the ocean accompanied the quiet crackling of the grease in the pan. Aomine’s eyes traveled from the kitchen island, slowing as he took in the lines of Kagami’s arms and shoulders bared by the tank top he wore. Sunkissed and strong. Aomine imagined them to be warm to the touch. The thought hooked him in, his hands suddenly twitchy with the desire to find out for himself. 

“Do you ever miss America?” Aomine asked instead, swallowing the urge down with water so cold it made his teeth ache. The question seemed to catch Kagami off guard, and Aomine began to suspect that that was something easily done in the morning. It’s likely Kagami was feeling a bit hazy, too. 

“Um, sometimes. I miss my old friends. Thinking of Los Angeles brings back a childhood nostalgia, you know?” Kagami shifted in front of the stove and rubbed at his neck. “The beach here reminds me of the time I lived there.”

“Is that why you chose a summer job at the beach?” Kagami didn’t answer straight away, which hiked up Aomine’s curiosity. 

“Part of the reason, yeah.” 

“That’s a lame answer.”

Kagami turned around then, wearing a bemused expression. 

“What?”

“What’s the other part? Come on, Kagami,” Aomine drawled his name as he propped his head up with his hand. “Tell me all the details.” 

“There are no other details. I like the beach.”

“Liar.” 

“I just said I enjoyed the beach, I’m not lying about that!” Kagami argued, turning off the stove with enough flair to be considered dramatic. Aomine puffed, unsatisfied until Kagami turned to slide a steaming plate of food in front of him. Any rifts that sprang to his mind dropped off his radar as his full attention was now on breakfast. 

“Nice distraction,” Aomine mumbled before diving in, dedicated in tasting the fresh egg. 

Kagami only sighed. He grabbed his own plate and plopped down next to Aomine, his chopsticks wavering over his meal before digging in himself. He hummed around his first bite and Aomine nodded in agreement. It was fucking delicious; not that he really expected anything different from Kagami’s cooking skills. Fried egg on top of steamed rice and cabbage paired with slices of beef and a small baked pastry drizzled with some kind of fruit sauce. A breakfast of kings. 

“I could really go for some coffee with this,” Aomine commented around a mouth full of food. Kagami motioned towards the far counter. 

“Brewed some already.” 

“You’re fucking amazing,” Aomine declared, sliding from his stool to pour them both a cup each. Kagami’s shoulders shook in silent laughter. 

“I don’t just like the beach. The job I was looking for just so happened to be by a beach that I couldn’t be bothered in looking for another place to go for the summer,” Kagami explained further as Aomine returned to his seat. He sipped at his coffee and smacked his lips once before continuing to eat. “I really do like it here. The ocean, the sun-”

“You’re waxing poetic about scenery that can be found anywhere.”

Kagami shrugged. 

“Nostalgia will do that to you.”

Aomine grunted but said nothing more, too occupied with his meal to push the subject. It seemed Kagami was in a talking mood, though, so he listened while he ate. 

“I wanted to pack this breakfast with protein. I’ve got a long day ahead of me, and you could use a pick-me-up after yesterday. Don’t expect this everyday.” 

Aomine glanced sideways at Kagami, the dude’s face a pleasant mixture of amusement and tranquility. Comfortably content. It made Aomine feel lightheaded. He slowed his chewing so that he wouldn’t choke. 

“Are you saying you’ll still fix me breakfast everyday?”

“If you can wake up for it,” Kagami teased. Aomine couldn’t help but smile.

“Then it could be lunch, or dinner.”

“Or a midnight snack?”

“Two or three of them, yeah.”

Kagami belted a laugh at the response, the sound ringing in Aomine’s ears like a death toll. He realized with an impending sense of dread that he might be a little in over his head. The sight of Kagami’s wide smile and the crinkles around his closed eyes sent Aomine’s heart in a flurry of indistinguishable emotions. He felt so suddenly overwhelmed with it that he wanted to make a run for the waterfront and dive headfirst into the waves. 

Kagami’s subsequent coughing broke through his inner turmoil. He continued to cough for a few more seconds until finally reaching for Aomine’s glass of water. 

“Rice,” he supplied, his voice broken. Aomine clicked his tongue.

“Dumbass.”

Kagami sputtered into the water, causing some to escape down his chin. 

“Don’t choke on that, too!”

Kagami set his glass down and coughed once more before giving Aomine a thumbs up, to which he rolled his eyes. 

“Mind doing dishes for me?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I’m the one who cooked. It’s only polite.”

“Have you ever known me to be polite?”

Kagami seriously contemplated the question. He tapped his finger to his chin and Aomine raised an eyebrow. 

“Mmm, maybe once or twice.”

“Right,” Aomine snorted, but grabbed Kagami’s plate anyways. He had to turn away from Kagami’s genuine smile. Asshole. 

“Thanks, I gotta get to work.” Kagami jumped from his seat and jogged to his bedroom. “I’ll have a longer shift today because of training.”

“That sucks,” Aomine replied as he rinsed the plates in the sink. 

“I still get paid,” he replied from his room. Aomine nodded, conceding to the fact that a paid Kagami meant Kagami was more likely to cook. At least, that’s what he hoped. He wondered if he could get away with going the whole summer without using his own small kitchen. 

Kagami emerged minutes later, newly clothed and faintly smelling of sun lotion. He paused at the kitchen, hesitating from across the island as he looked at Aomine.

“Take it easy today?”

“What else am I gonna do?” Aomine retorted as he placed the last dish in the dishwasher. Kagami shrugged, shifting his bag on his shoulder as he walked out the door. 

“See ya!” 

A few moments of Aomine staring at the running water in the sink passed before he felt bored. He decided to leave the pans there to soak and turned off the water. Grabbing his cup of coffee, he began to head towards the door so he could go up to his floor when an idea anchored him to the spot. An embarrassing, self-indulgent thought, but one too tempting to pass up. He took a long gulp of his coffee and sat it on the kitchen island before walking to Kagami’s bedroom.

If he was going to relax, did it matter where? He slipped into Kagami’s bedsheets, the familiar scent inescapable as buried himself deep within the linen. He ignored the sensation of his heart floating as he breathed it in, faintly aware of how stupid he must look. He sighed and gave into whatever bullshit mood he was riding by tucking his face into Kagami’s pillow before turning on the television. 

A couple hours passed, hours filled with local news, infomercials, and rerun cartoon episodes. Aomine didn’t move from his spot but once to piss, returning only to slide further down into the sheets. Fatigued enough from sleeping longer than usual that he didn’t want to move, but well rested enough not to nod off, Aomine felt trapped in cyclical boredom as the television barely entertained him. Finally, he turned the drone of static off to listen to the waves outside. 

Without a proper distraction, however, Aomine succumbed to his drifting thoughts. Thoughts of warm skin and laughter, of pulses beating in tandem across concrete courts. Aomine revisited the memory of Kagami’s hands sliding across his wet skin and he shivered, groaning when he felt the pull of arousal. He flipped to lie on his back, his fingertips skimming along his stomach and down to the waistband of his boxer briefs. 

Aomine contemplated if it would be creepy to jack off in a friend’s bed, but he conceded that there were worse things. Who knew how many people fucked in the bed before he or Kagami arrived? 

It felt too easy to imagine Kagami suddenly above him, shoulders freckled from their hours spent together in the sun. Aomine kicked the sheets off and pulled down his boxers to immediately begin stroking himself, the scent of Kagami in the bed sending him spiraling. Hips canting upward, Aomine fucked into his fist; his mind’s eye painted it as Kagami’s hand, his fierce eyes unrelenting as they held Aomine’s gaze. 

What would be even easier than imagining Kagami would be coming to this fantasy of a fast and hard handjob. No eloquence, no words. But the sentimentality of the morning clung to him, sinking its claws deeper as he slowed his pace. He imagined Kagami hovering closer, chest rumbling as he hummed into Aomine’s palm before placing a kiss there. He guided Aomine’s hand lower so that he held both of their dicks together, their pre-come creating a tantilizing slide of pleasure. Aomine cursed, his heart racing as he envisioned Kagami covering his chest with his own, completely surrounding him in his heat and scent. Kagami nuzzled into his neck and sucked at his skin there. 

Aomine let out a long and loud moan, hips stuttering as he neared his climax. He imagined threading his fingers through Kagami’s hair to find some purchase, something to ground him as Kagami rolled his hips into his fist. Slick sounds made from their rhythm sent a swell of pleasure rushing down Aomine’s spine. Skin buzzing, Aomine finally increased the pace, releasing huffed whines as he pushed erratically into his fist. 

“Taiga...”

His orgasm washed over him in unrelenting waves. He turned his head to bite into Kagami’s pillow as he rode it out, his groan rough and deep as his body twitched through the last of it. 

Aomine released the pillow but didn’t open his eyes for a few moments. He rode out his post-orgasmic bliss by thinking of Kagami, red-faced and wide-eyed, placing a reverent kiss to his lips. The thought did nothing to quell his racing pulse. Instead, Aomine quickly discovered that he was not only in over his head, but that whatever attraction he felt towards Kagami sailed way past the checkbox for “fling”. 

“Fuuuuuuuck.”

 

Aomine soon showered, feeling just embarrassed enough to take a private walk of shame back upstairs to his floor. Although his floor was maybe half the size of the first floor, the smaller space still felt as empty. Before his restlessness could propel him outside into the heat and clear skies, Aomine settled into his own bed with his laptop to check his emails. Not so much as a peep from his uncle. The familiar buzzing of suspicion returned to the forefront of his attention.

He clicked to compose a new email and typed a few sentences before deleting to start from a different angle. If his uncle responded to this new email, it meant he had purposefully ignored Aomine’s previous one. What better way to catch his uncle’s attention than to accentuate a tenant’s complaint? An email composed of a few short sentences on how shitty the internet connection was and how Kagami found it unacceptable later, Aomine cracked his knuckles and hit send. 

He chuckled to himself until a knock sounded from downstairs. He shot out of bed, slipped on his sandals, and skipped down the outdoor steps. Half expecting to see Kagami with arms full of lunch, Aomine deflated when he realized it was a mailman. 

“Package for Kagami Taiga,” he said, holding said package in his arms. Aomine’s attitude flipped again, instantly curious. 

“He’s my tenant.” 

The mailman nodded and had Aomine sign for the package before leaving promptly. Aomine didn’t give a backwards glance as he entered the beach house’s first floor with the box, letting the door slam behind him. Shoes off, then straight to the breakfast island Aomine went. He set the box onto the island and tapped his fingers across the cardboard. Putting his ear to it, he shook it gingerly, then more forcefully as he figured it wasn’t fragile. 

Unsure of the package’s contents but too curious to simply toss it onto Kagami’s bed and forget about it, Aomine ultimately sat down at the breakfast island and just...stared at it. What could Kagami have ordered? Could he have forgotten to bring something from home and had someone send it to him? Aomine couldn’t quite remember Kagami’s exact address, but the sender address on the box looked familiar enough to spark his interest further. 

A few colorful possibilities flew through his mind, ones that caused goosebumps to spread across his skin, before he settled on the likelihood of whatever it was being mundane. If it was something boring, Kagami wouldn’t mind if Aomine opened it, would he? Spurred on by this grasp at straws, Aomine grabbed a kitchen knife and returned to the box. He hovered above it, but his curiosity dimmed under the guilt building in his gut. 

Since when did he give a fuck about consequences? When did he ever seek out permission to indulge in his impulses? If he opened the package, Kagami would probably yell at him about privacy; when he wouldn’t relent to Kagami’s lecture, Kagami would likely wrestle him to prove a point. It wasn’t uncommon for them to solve problems with their bodies, usually out on the basketball court. The idea was appealing enough to Aomine that he nearly cut into the package anyways, but something told him he shouldn’t, that he should wait. Along the same line of reasoning, if it was boring, Kagami would likely just show him what was inside when he got home. Aomine sighed in frustration and put the knife away. He grabbed the package and walked into Kagami’s room before unceremoniously tossing it onto his bed. 

He decided to clear his head by going for a walk, but within a hundred feet of leaving the beach house he began to regret it. Even with a thicker shirt on, his exposed skin prickled with irritation beneath the sun. He belatedly remembered that he hadn’t put any sunscreen on and grumbled under his breath. Stubborn as he was, though, he continued on his walk, noting how the town hummed with a mid-afternoon crowd. Restaurants and sweet shops tantalized him as he passed them by, stirring his hunger. 

When he walked past his regular convenience store, a thought struck Aomine. What if the package was the powdered sugar Kagami had ordered? It’d be a faster delivery than Aomine would expect from this town, but it wasn’t out of the question. His stomach growled, finally prompting him to seek out a place for some grub. 

Aomine found a takoyaki stand that was just too tempting to pass up and paid for two orders. Bodies passed behind him on the sidewalk, occasionally bumping into him as he waited for his food. He didn’t pay much attention to them, his attention captivated by the smell of the cooking batter wafting up into his face.

“Figures I’d find you here.”

Aomine’s heart skipped but his face remain unimpressed as he turned toward Kagami, who was standing close enough to lean into. Aomine refrained. 

“Got you a serving,” Aomine replied. Kagami blinked at him before grinning.

“Awesome, I’m starving.” He punctuated his statement by patting his stomach, drawing Aomine’s eyes to his sweat clad shirt. “I’ve been working almost nonstop today.” 

“You sure smell like it.”

“Pfff.”

Aomine glanced at Kagami’s face, taking in his flushed cheeks and damp hair. Kagami had dirt stains along his neck, too, which signaled to Aomine that his work primarily happened outside. Construction, maybe? Kagami didn’t exactly seem like the build ‘em type to him.

“Oh, here,” Kagami said as he reached into his bookbag. He pulled out a soda can dripping with condensation and handed it to Aomine. “Owed you one.”

“Thanks.” Aomine promptly popped its lid and took a sip, sighing. The stand vendor handed him his order and they started their walk back to the house. 

Kagami remained close next to Aomine as they walked. Aomine attempted to focus on the promise of a delicious lunch but kept being pulled back to Kagami’s presence. Body heat rolled off of him, distinct enough against the summer sun that it made Aomine feel fidgety. Kagami seemed content on walking back quietly, but Aomine felt the uncharacteristic urge to keep up a conversation - for his own sake. 

“Package came for you today,” Aomine commented casually, eyes catching Kagami’s face turn from confusion to realization to barely contained anticipation. He  _ knew _ he should have opened the damn thing.

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah. You look like it’s your birthday or somethin’. What is it?”

“What, you didn’t open it?” 

Aomine’s guilt melted away as he laughed, allowing his curiosity to burn brighter. 

“I almost did.”

“Kudos on your restraint.” 

“It won’t happen often.”

“I hope not.” 

Aomine was silently grateful that Kagami wasn’t looking at him. His body flushed hot as a shiver trailed down his spine, his imagination spinning wildly out of his control. Images of them together - unhindered, fast, rough - flashed through his mind. He quickly gulped at his soda, the carbonation making his eyes water.

“You’re not curious about it all?” Kagami segued. His smile held a secret, which burned Aomine in different ways. 

“Of course I am. I almost took a fucking kitchen knife to it,” Aomine answered, his grip on the soda can tightening. Kagami’s laugh didn’t help. 

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because...” Aomine hesitated. He adjusted his grip on his takoyaki takeaway bag and avoided Kagami’s gaze. “I was tryin’ to...respect your space, or something.”

“Oh.” 

“What?”

“You’ve matured, Aomine.”

“Quit teasing me,” Aomine replied, scowling at Kagami. It didn’t dent his chipper attitude, though, and it was more obvious then that he carried a secret behind his wet, cherry pop lips. Aomine’s mind caught on that detail, halting any other comments he was preparing to spew at Kagami. “Are you wearing lipgloss?”

Kagami snorted, briefly covering his mouth before answering, “No, sunscreen lip balm.”

“Coulda fooled me.”

“It does have a tint to it. Maybe I should change it?”

“Keep it,” Aomine blurted. “It suits you.” 

The comment seemed to quiet Kagami. Aomine finished his drink and loudly crushed the can. He threw it into a recycle bin, his pulse a little too quick for a leisurely town stroll. He cursed to himself and didn’t say a word more the rest of the walk back. Kagami didn’t seem to mind, though, and they soon dug into their lunch on the back patio of the beach house. 

 

Once they were finished with their food and stretched out in their patio chairs, Aomine breached the topic of the package once again. 

“So...does it have to do with work?” 

“What?”

“The package. You don’t share anything about your job so I thought with you keeping it a secret that it might be something for work.”

“No, it’s not for work. And work...what I do isn’t that exciting, or cool.”

“Hmm.” That was another mystery for another day. “Then would it be the powdered sugar you ordered from the store?”

“No, that’s being delivered to the store. We’ll have to go get it when it gets there.”

“Damn.”

“There are other desserts, Aomine.” 

A few beats of silence passed. Aomine shifted in his chair. 

“Don’t you need to go check on it, to see if it’s the right thing?” Aomine reached, trying to pick at Kagami’s brain. It’s all he had until Kagami revealed what the box actually contained. 

“I know what it is, I don’t need to check.” 

“So it  _ is _ something you forgot at home?” 

“How long have you been thinking about this?” Kagami asked, raising an eyebrow at Aomine. Aomine shrugged. 

“A while.”

Kagami huffed a laugh. 

“I didn’t forget it. It didn’t fit in my travel bags so I had a friend ship it here.” Kagami fidgeted with the takeaway bag. “Do you really want to know that badly?”

“Obviously.” 

Kagami paused, his expression merging into nervous territory. 

“How about I shower, and we hit the local arcade? I’ll show it to you afterwards.”

“Sure. With the way you’re hyping it up, sounds like it’s a big deal.”

“Yeah,” Kagami chuckled, standing from his chair. He took their trash with him and headed inside the beach house. Aomine followed his movements, eyes trained on the back of Kagami’s head; curious as to how many dimensions his secret held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so if you're a return reader, thanks for keeping this story in your bookmarks. i know it's been a while, and a lot of shit has happened since summer '16, but i still love my idiot boys and i still really want to write and finish this story. so here i am!! summer rain is officially off of hiatus. if you're new, welcome to the party! thanks for checking out my story :)
> 
> writing this is a lot of me pretending to throttle both of them bc they need to learn to communicate but....they're getting there. i'm excited to continue taking you on this slow build pining adventure. 
> 
> a new thing i'd like to announce is that i have a designated fic blog now! there you can send me questions/talk to me, see inspo posts, update posts, playlists, edits, etc! i've got a lot to catch up on summer rain wise, but it's a work in progress  
> i'm still messing with the theme, so excuse the possible construction. i also have my ko-fi linked there if you're feeling generous!  
>  fic blog >> [HERE](https://fenfics.tumblr.com/) <<
> 
> please leave comments/kudos, and i'll catch ya next time!
> 
> ~ other places you can find me ~  
> personal tumblr: grumpyelf  
> twitter: @diodaddy


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